What are we actually doing?
Where are we actually going?
You hear people say the same tired, old phrases at the beginning of the week and the end of the week.
It’s Monday. It’s Friday!
Where does it go from here?
Life is meant for living — yet we live for the paycheck, and we aim for the weekend.
Life has to be more than pure monotony. It has to be connected to a higher purpose.
I’m learning that’s what I need in my life.
For me, Stoicism has had a huge impact on my life.
I first started paying attention when I read some of Ryan Holiday’s writing.
Last week I bought something off his Daily Stoic website that serves as a talisman, a daily reminder for why I do what I do. It helps me ignore the trivial — and focus on what truly matters.
Years ago I would have found it to be an extremely silly purpose.
Now I think it’s crucial to remind myself, on a daily basis, that I’m very fortunate to be alive — that this day may very well be my last.
So how do I keep this fire going?
I focus on things that are important to me.
I structure my day around raising my spirit so that I can handle whatever may come my way.
If I prepare myself for the worst, I can always respond with my best.
It’s a mindset that is only morbid if you let it be morbid.
In fact, life is only a certain way if we let it be a certain way.
It is far too easy to accept what you are told — and assume that this is just how life is, that life is unfair and teaching you a lesson.
It’s much more difficult to forge your own path, to decide that as hard as life may be, it’s going to be a life that you create for yourself.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re likely just as intense as I am. Embrace it. Be who you are. Forget about changing the world; you’re not likely to change yourself if you don’t develop personal intensity.
You have to be excited about your life before you can get anyone else to be excited about it.
Here are some ways to find what you’re searching for:
- Start your day with intention. Get up every morning and figure out your number one action for the day. Write it down. When you write it down, it has a way of imprinting itself upon your mind. Never lose sight of the one thing you want to accomplish for the day.
- What kind of behavior will you tolerate? How will you act when things get tough? Visualize the moments that might challenge you. When they actually happen, you’ll be ready to carry out the plan you envisioned in your mind.
- Turn what angers you into a game. How can you befriend someone who hates you? How can you make the daily grump flash a genuine smile? When you challenge yourself to do more than the status quo, your mind and body will come alive and rise to the occasion.
- Never stop learning. Whatever it takes, you have to be a learner. The day you say you’ve “seen it all” is the day you die. You will never see it all. There will never be a moment that you don’t have something to learn — about yourself, from someone else, from your environment, whatever. It’s all part of life. Learn to appreciate the ugly moments of life, and you’ve already won half the battle.
Taking these actions will not solve all of your problems, but they will get you moving in the right direction.
The idea is to be proactive about your life.
Seize each moment and fill it with as much meaning as you can.
Maybe you already have strategies for filling your life with meaning.
If that’s the case, share them in a comment below so that we can all benefit.
Life’s too short to keep all the truth to ourselves.
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This post was originally published on Medium.com and is republished with the author’s permission.
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